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Bradley Schroeder
BRADLEY ARTHUR SCHROEDER is a character on the series, Harpers Falls. He is played by Irish actor Allen Leech, best known for his role of former chauffeur Tom Branson on the recently completed series, Downton Abbey. "When I got word that Albert (Gray-Dean, HF's creator) had been thinking of adding a new family, I was intrigued. He had seen Downton and the excellent job I did as Tom. He felt I was ready for this. It's wonderful to be working with Jessica (Brown Findlay, Mikayla) again. I missed her and we had a lot of fun playing marrieds Tom and Sybil. Now she and I are siblings, and it will be interesting to work with her again." The lone male of the Schroeder girls Brad is the lone male of the Schroeder sisters. All four are very close and they love one another, but Brad has a problem, being the only male in a family of three girls. This is part of the reason he lives on his own right now. Brad, like his sisters, was born in London, to Lord Anthony Schroeder and Lady Jacklyn Gregson Schroeder. They ruled the roost in Belgrave Square and the Schroeders were very well known and well respected. Beacuse of their highly respected name, they were also quite compassionate and friendly, who took Noblesse Oblige very seriously. However, unlike his sisters, while they are so busy that they do not date, Brad had been married. He married a very wealthy and titled woman, Lady Amelia Norwood, a widow with two children, Ian and Alessandra. While he is humble, although he comes from a very powerful and titled family, Alessandra was a spoiled brat, encouraged and even egged on by her equally spoiled and entitled mother. On the other hand, Ian, being a boy, wasn't as spoiled as his sister, who expected everything. While he had his wants, he would go about it properly and ask Brad for it. When he couldn't get it, he accepted it and worked hard to be able to get it later on. Because of this trait, Ian wasn't as much of a trial to Brad as Alessandra could be. In fact, Ian really liked Brad, and loved him so much that he considered him a second father. Brad considered Ian his son and the two would have some quality father and son time together. Brad understood Ian's isolation and loneliness as he too was the only male in a female household. Between the two overbearing women, it pained Brad to see Ian so alone and hurt. Not to mention the loneliness was crippling him. Amelia did not care. She also didn't like the closeness between Brad and Ian because it was a sop at her ego, and, as a result of that, she basically wrote off Ian, focusing every iota of her attention on Alessandra. Their late father, Lord Clive Norwood, the Earl of Wigan, had told people that being married to Amelia was like running a cross-country race, keeping her and Alessandra in the style they were accustomed to. Clive had been close to his son, and understood the pain he had to deal with as it came to his mother and sister. After almost several years of dealing with it, Brad finally left. The final straw was a huge temper tantrum that Alessandra threw in Harrods Department Store, which not only annoyed him, but injured a salesman after she kicked him. Alessandra wanted a tiara and Brad said no. Amelia got it for her anyway, in spite of Brad's objections. After returning home, he and Amelia had a vicious row and he finally exploded. "Who is it to be?" he demanded Amelia, "Alessandra or our marriage?!" She chose Alessandra and an infuriated Bradley stormed out, with Ian in tow. The two guys moved into a flat in London and lived a bachelor's life for some time. When he left London, he accompanied his paternal aunt, Ena Yeovil, who kept his spirits up after the disastrous fight in Harrods. Whilst Alessandra is still very much spoiled, Ian would move to Yorkshire with a great aunt of the family, Lady Isie Cresbard, after the scheming Amelia took him back and severely punished him. She and Alessandra made Ian's life a nightmare by them stealing his title and inheritance, and spending it on themselves. Ian was hurt, but Yorkshire helped heal his injured heart. Ian loves the country life and the simple splendor of the valleys and fields. He truly found his métier in Yorkshire and he is quite happy and content. He doesn't have any contact with his mother and sister, as they had totally and completely dismissed him from their lives. Ian writes his stepdad constantly, and their relationship is as strong as ever. The resourceful Bradley used his skills as a manager at Harper Industries, to get a job at the main Harper headquarters in Boston, and is in the process of divorcing the shrewish Amelia and getting out from under Alessandra. Upon arriving in Boston, he caught up with his sisters, and his aunt. They welcomed him and introduced him to the Harper family. He gets on well with all of them. Brad tends to be closer to his younger sister, Mikayla Schroeder, as he has always been more protective of her as a child. He first protected her when she was an infant. When they were in school, he protected her from a bully, who tried to steal her lunch. That protection has kind of become more reinforced when she was in high school. Bradley kind of screened his sister's dates, which was a suggeston by Lila and Melanie, which sometimes annoyed Mikayla, but she knew that he was doing it for her own protection. He knew that Lila and Melanie could handle things, when he couldn't. His relationship with them are as equals. To his delight, Ian would move to Boston and the two guys would be a team again. His family took to him and he began to find his place with his new family and his métier and purpose in Boston. After the move, Ian and Brad put Amelia and Alessandra on blast for what they did. Ian got his title back and his inheritance, thanks to Brad, Isie and his aunt Josephine. Brad has his sister, Lila help with his finances; and the rest of the family gives him complete support. Although Ian is known as Lord Wigan, he eschews the title, believing that as Ian Norwood, he is better and happier. Category:Characters Category:Harper family allies Category:Schroeder family